Thursday, 19 February 2009
Knowing that I had a busy schedule this morning, I woke at 2:00. I read from my book for a while, but I was able to start writing before 2:30. Before the guards unlocked the doors to my housing unit at 6:00, I had completed five blog articles. Three of those articles were responses to students from California State University, Long Beach. Those in the criminal justice program under Dr. Sam Torres’ class were reading my work and posting questions to which I would respond. The interactive project was a part of their educational journey, and I appreciated the opportunity to contribute.
At 6:09 I was on the track. I ran 10 miles, lifting my tally to 629 miles over the past 69 days of continuous running. I was back in the housing unit, showered, shaved, and ready before 8:10. I had a meeting scheduled with Professor Jana Schrenkler, from Saint Mary’s University, in Minnesota, at 9:00.
This would be my first meeting with Jana. She is a professor of business at the university and she teaches courses in ethics. The widening economic crisis is making the subject of ethics timely, and Jana is gathering data for writing projects that would contribute to the literature. I welcomed the opportunity to contribute.
I came into contact with Jana through a letter she wrote to a fellow prisoner at Taft Camp. He had been the founder and CEO of a large electronics company and was serving time for fraud. Jana and her students were undertaking a project to write to incarcerated CEOs with questions about the ethical policies in their former corporate culture. My friend did not want to participate in the study, but he shared the inquiry with me and I responded with a letter of introduction.
This is the method I have been using for decades. By introducing myself to community leaders, I could transcend prison boundaries and open new opportunities that few other long-term prisoners enjoyed. I have brought numerous mentors into my life in this way, and I feel that I have grown because of the strategy.
Although I was not a former CEO or white-collar offender, Jana welcomed my letter and any contributions I could make to her study. I had written considerable amounts of content on white-collar offenders whom I had interviewed. My wife and partner, Carole, had converted all of my writings to digital files. I put Jana in touch with my wife, and Carole emailed her several stories I had written about offenders from corporate America.
Jana found some value in the work. I had proposed to put a panel of white collar offenders together that she could interview during a visit. Administrators at Taft Camp did not authorize the panel, but they did grant her permission to visit and interview me about the work I was doing to prepare for release.
My work is preparing me for a career as a speaker, author, and consultant upon release. With an expected 25-year journey through prison, I am convinced that I can add value by speaking with audiences who want to learn about the subject matter. One group to which I want to contribute will include corporate America, and working together with Jana and other business professionals will enhance my credibility.
During our meeting, I offered to help Jana by gathering data on several white collar offenders who would agree to participate in the project. She has an ethics questionnaire that I’ll use as an interview guide for the stories I intend to write. I’ll send the stories to my wife, and Carole will transcribe them for a new category of ethics on Prison News Blog.
I look forward to making these contributions to society. I am grateful to Jana, and to my wife, for giving me these opportunities to transcend prison boundaries in preparation for release.
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